The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-03-10
NC -satu uuprvusfy.
ooh, certainly-the atage robbery

sent q note 10 We 'Splalnln matteFS Oy q SeH-
tleman; but the road agents tackled that
man, and left him for dead in the road"
eyes," said Mrs. Hale impatiently.
Luckily he didn't die, but KEN to and man
aged TO crawl inter the bush, whar found
him when twas lookin' for stock, and brought
him to my house, -.. -.:. 80
"You found hima Your houser interrupted
Mrs. Hale -..- ~
"Inter my house, continued the man dog
gedly. "rm Thompson of Thompsoa's Pass
over yop: mebbe it amt much Of ahouse,
but brought him thar. Well, ez he couldn't
find the note that Hale had guv him, and like
ez not the road agents had gone through him
and got it, ez soon ez the weather let up I
made break over yer to tell ye." ~
"You say Mr.. Lee came to your house, /" re-
peated Mrs Hale, "and is there nowP 81
mot much, ;" said the man grimly; sand I
never said Lee was thar. / mean that Bilson
was shot by Lee and kem"- .- +.
Certainly, Josephine!" said Kate, suddenly
stepping between her sister and Thompson
and turning upon her white face and eyes
Of silencing significance: "certainly-don't
you remember2-that's the story we got
from the Chinaman, you know, only mud
died. Go on, sir" she continued, turning to
Thompson calmly; "you say that the man
who brought the note from my brother was
shot by Lees"
"And another fellow they call Falkner.
Yes, that's about the size of it."
Thank you; it's nearly the same story that
we heard. But You have had long ride,
Mr. Thompson; let me offer you q glass Of
whisky in the dining room. This way,
please"
The door closed upon them none too soon.
For Mrs. Hale already felt the room whirling
around her and sank back into her chair with
an hysterical laugh. Old Mrs. Scott did not
move from her seat, but, with her eyes fixed
on the door, impatiently waited Hates re-
| turn. Neither spoke, but each felt that the
young, untried girl was equal to the erner-
gency and would get at the truth. g..
The sound OF Thompson's feet in the hall
and the closing of the front door was followed
by Hates temperance. Her face was still
PALE but calm.
"Welln said the two women in a breath.
"Well," returned Kate, slowly, "Mr. Lee
and Mr. FaIlzner were undoubtedly the two
men who took the paper from Johns messen-
ger and brought it here"
"You are surep said Mrs. Scott.
"There can be no mistake, mother"
"Then," said Mrs. Scott, with triumphant
feminine logic, II don't want anything more
to satisfy me that they are perfectly inno-
! cent?"
More convincing than the most perfect
masculine deduction, this single expression Of
their common nature sent thrill Of SYM
patty and understanding through each. They
cried for few moments on each others
| shoulders. ..' ---
ITO think" said Mrs. Scott, "what that
poor boy must have suffered to have been
Obliged to do-that tO-to-Bilson-isn'tt that
the creatures name: suppose we ought to
| send over there and inquire after him; with
so,,o c--i.,kcn and jelly, Kate. It's only COM
mon humanity, al ~ we must be JUST my
dear; for even if he shot 49,. 'se a''" P'V
voked the poor boy to shoot him, he may
have thought it his duty. And, then, it will
avert suspicious"
ITO think" murmured Mrs Hale, "what
they must have gone through while they
were here-momentarily expecting John to
come, and yet keeping up such light heart"
81 believe, if they had stayed any longer,
they would have told US everything" said
Mrs. Scott.
Both the younger women were silent. Kate
was thinking of Falkner's significant speech
as they neared the house ON their last walk;
Josephine was recalling the remorseful pic
ture drawn by Lee, which she knew was his
own portrait. Suddenly she started.
"But John will be here soon; what are we
to tell hims And then that package and that
letter."
"Dont be in a hurry to tell him anything
at is unfortunate this Mr.. Thompson called
here, but we are not obliged to understand
what he says now about Johns message, or
to connect our visitors with his story. I'm
sure, Kate, l should have treated them ex-
| actly as we did if they had come without any
message from John; so do not know why
we should lay any stress on that, or even
speak of it. The simple fact is that we have
! opened our house to two strangers In distress.
Your husband" continued Mr.. Hale's
mother-in-law, "does not require to know
more. As to the letter and package, we will
keep that for further consideration It can
not be of much Importance or they would
have spoken of it before; it is probably some
trifing present as return for your hospital
ity. should use no indecorous haste in hav-
ing it opened"
The two women kissed Mrs. Scott with
| feeling of relief, and fell back into the
monotony of their household duties. It is to
| be feared, however, that the absence Of their
|, outlawed guests was nearly as dangerous as
their presence in the opportunity it afforded
for uninterrupted and imaginative reflection.
Both Kate and Josephine were at first
shocked and wounded by the discovery of the
real character Of the two men with whom
they had associated SO Familiarity, but it was
no disparagement to their sense OF propriety
to say that the shock did not last long, and
| was accompanied with the fascination of dam
ger. This was succeeded by consciousness Of
the delicate fattery implied In their indirect
influence over the men who had undoubtedly
risked their lives for the sake Of remaining
with them. The best woman is not above
being touched by the effect of her power
over the worst man, and Kate at first allowed
herself to think of Falkner in that light.
But if in her later reflections he suffered
as heroic experience to be forgotten, he
gained something as an actual man to be re-
membered. Now that the proposed rides
non, shis frisnd's house" were pa. ns the
Illusion, would he ersr dare to visit them
againl Would she dare to see himi She held
her breath with a sudden pain of parting that
was new to her; she tried to think Of some-
thing else, to pick up the scattered threads Of
her life before that eventfui day, But in
vain; that one week had filled the place with
implacable memories, or more terrible, as it
seemed to her and her sister, they had both
lost their feeble, alien hold upon Eagles
Court in the sudden presence of the real genii
of these solitudes, and henceforth they alone
would be strangers there. They scarcely
dared TO confess it to each other, but this re-
turn to the dazzling sunlight and cloudless
skies Of the past appeared to them to be one
unreal experience; they had never known the
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